The Perils of Diversity
by r.i.p. musictaco
Summary: Maybe being thrown off the boat by Admiral Choi, Admiral Zhao for those of you who forget, was a good thing. Forget the fact he almost died of hypothermia.
1. Savior

Hahn was glowing with confidence, so much that someone could volunteer to use the word cocky. Too bad the boy was so ignorant he didn't care and yelled, "Admiral Choi prepare to meet your doom!" But luckily for this Admiral Choi, well Admiral Zhao if you want to be more accurate, has combat skills, sneak attack principles, and enough training to pause his thought for two seconds to toss the water tribe warrior off his boat, not paying any attention to where he landed. The good news for Hahn, he knew how to swim and began to do just that. But he looked up and saw the glowing blue and what looked like a person inside. The creature made a wave sending the ships away from the water tribe but the wave was coming Hahn's way and soon enough he was going under. He swam to the surface and found the waves wouldn't rest, as if he was the commander initiating this attack. Suddenly the waves stopped attacking and Hahn struggles to pull himself to the surface again.

But a hand is there to help, and pulls him into a fairly sized boat. Not as large as the fire nation ships but anything to give him a break. A figure hidden by the darkness wraps him in multiple blankets and lay's him down. He can feel the hands. They're calloused on the fingertips but soft everywhere else. The only thing Hahn can see is his savior is pulling up to a fire nation ship and then tie their boat to it. They glance at him before climbing up the starboard side. Hahn doesn't care what they're doing as long as nothing happens. Minutes later Hahn is slung over someone's shoulder and he can see the boat get more and more distant until he is set on his feet again. The same set of calloused hands take him inside. Though reluctant to go further inside the metal ship, he trusts his unknown companion. Opening up to one of the chambers inside the ship Hahn is left alone with the fire still burning. He wraps himself under the covers, quite confused he is sleeping in a fire nation ship tonight.

The next morning he wakes to find himself still in the fire nation ship. Reluctant to go outside, he steps out of his comfort zone anyway to wonder how he got here. No one is on the ship which must mean he wasn't captured. Then again, he'd be in a cell instead of a bedroom. But there is someone so Hahn sets out to find them. Room after room, hallway after hallway, Hahn finally reaches the room of interest and finds a woman around his age staring intently at a map before her. If she was the only one on this entire ship, then was she the hand that saved him yesterday? _No, that's impossible! A woman can't save him from drowning and kill a whole ship crew, _his mind screamed. But the facts said that's exactly how it went down.

She finally looks up at him and asks. "Feel any better?"

"Yeah, I guess. But did you...where are we going?" Hahn was embarrassed he couldn't hold his own and a woman had to come out and save him.

"To my home in Shu Jing"

"Isn't that in the fire nation?"

"It's closer than your home. By the time the ships cleared out for us to get through we would've been pushed right out of the North Pole. We just passed the Western Air Temple about two hours ago" Hahn can hardly believe that _she _did all that she claimed. But enough of that was said when he felt something in his throat. He ran out, leaving the bewildered woman alone with her map. She walked leisurely after him, knowing he wouldn't jump. Once on the deck she found him bent over the railing of the deck.

"Problems?" she jokes.

"That's tastes awful!" he winced.

"Here, let's get something to eat" she extends her hand and he takes it. Anything to get the vile taste out of his mouth. In the galley, Hahn studies her as she moves about with ingredients in hand. The funny thing is, unlike the women back home, you didn't know what she would do next. She didn't have that touch of defencelessness like women at home. "You might want to eat that before it gets cold" he was snapped out of his trance, and found the strange woman sitting next to him with soup bowls in front of them. Taking her advice, Hahn tries the soup and is pleasantly surprised. The noodles he recognizes but it's the broth that caught him. It's much more flavorful than the soups back home.

"Like?"

"Yeah, it's really good"

"Careful, it's said to be really hot at times. Depending on the cook, that is"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hahn asked suspiciously.

"Oh nothing" she looked innocently at her soup before taking in another spoonful.

"By the way, I never caught your name?"

She furrowed her brows at the way he was asking the question. "If you're asking, I'm Reiko. You?"

"Hahn"

"So Hahn, what's a little soldier boy like yourself doing in those freezing waters?" she asked in a mock serious tone.

"I am not a boy!" Hahn wailed.

"Uh huh, and a man wouldn't need saving. So therefore, you are a boy" Reiko chirped and swung her feet, purposely kicking Hahn softly.


	2. Away From Home

As Hahn was about to stand from the chair, his knees gave way and his teeth started chattering.

"R-R-Re-Reiko" he tried to get out through his involuntary jaw spasms. Reiko knelt down to him and helped him up, holding him tightly around the waist to the nearest bedroom. She laid him down and rubbed the sides of his body to warm him. Once she saw him relax she slowed her actions until stopping completely.

"What the hell was that?" Reiko gaped wide eyed at the water tribe man lying before her.

"I don't know" Hahn answered fearfully and truthfully.

"Me neither. I want you to rest, okay?"

"Yeah" he nodded and turned to his side. Then suddenly his he popped out of the covers and paced around the room.

"What's wrong?" Reiko raised a brow, worried all the same about her water tribe companion.

"My fiancé! She's probably worried about me"

"Dude, she's dead. She's the moon now"

"What? How?" Hahn slapped his forehead, and then it dawned on him. Arnook told him that Yue nearly died but he placed her in the pond and begged the spirits for life. When Admiral Choi killed the moon spirit, Yue sacrificed herself to restore the moon and the waterbenders. It all made sense and Hahn knew he was once more a joke to the Northern Water Tribe. Even his parents deemed him useless until Arnook decided he wanted him to marry Yue. What good could happen if he returned home? His reputation was gone there, but isn't there always a second chance for everyone?

"We should get to port in half an hour, and then we can figure out when we can get you home"

"I'm not sure if I'm ready to go back there"

"But I thought you were some important warrior for your tribe"

"Pfft, yeah right. My only importance was with Yue. I am nothing to them now that I'm not marrying the princess"

"How do you know?"

"My parents reminded me constantly. Oh, and one night I heard Yue crying to daddy dearest saying that she would rather marry anyone other than me. Even that Sokka guy who she only knew for a few days"

"You can't beat yourself up on the past. You have to move and be able to smile and wave at the moon"

"Easy for you to say. You're not the one who's been insulted for every single mistake the made in their life"

"True, I'm not, but you're beating yourself up and that's not healthy"

"Then how am I supposed to feel? Tell me"

"I don't know, but I do know you can't let the past stress you out and fill your thoughts every single second of everyday"

"All I know is I don't want to go back there. But I probably won't survive"

"You can stay with me"

"Why would you want a stranger in your house?"

"Well until you get on your feet, and besides, I do research for the healers and I need a new test subject"

"For what?"

"Seeing which plants do what to a person"

"I can die!"

"Not if it's treated properly and on time. Our testers only die one out of 100,000 times. That's an incredible chance of survival"

"Fine" Hahn muttered. Silence filled the room and Hahn found himself studying Reiko's gentle features which greatly contradicted her tough personality. But being the man, Hahn would obviously be tougher.


	3. Don't Fight the Moon

"Yue, are you?" Hahn wanted it to be, but knew the glowing light said otherwise.

"No" Yue didn't look at him.

"So what she said is true?"

"Very" she nodded.

"So why are you here?"

Her hand touched his chest indicating where his heart is. "Your heart is cold"

"So"

"You won't be happy going on the way you do. I know what your father did. I know how your parents berated and neglected you"

Hahn rolled his eyes at the lecture. "Where is this going?"

"I have something for you that always softens the coldest of warrior's hearts. Some just take longer than others"

"What is it?"

"Not it. Him"

"Him?"

"Reiko is a kind person. Taking in a stranger without even knowing what they could be hiding. I want you two to raise my son Koray. The moon and the ocean's son. He is with Reiko"

"Hahn!" Hahn heard Reiko call him and Yue was gone.

"Yue! What the hell is going on?"

"Look at this" Reiko held Koray in her arms and Hahn studied the infant boy. His eyes were ocean blue, his hair a sandy yellowish color, and his skin very pale. If he hadn't conversed with Yue, he would think this child very ill. But he is not a normal child, but a spiritual incarnation. However, he is not the Avatar. Yue's voice rang in Hahn's head and he would keep him for her sake.

"We're keeping him"

"Huh?" Reiko looked perplexed at his sudden fondness for the unknown boy.

"His name is Koray" Hahn told her firmly and took Koray in his arms. Reiko gave an anxious glance at Hahn but he nodded and she left. At that moment Yue reappeared.

"Koray is six months old. He is a waterbender" that was the last of the moon spirit for tonight and she was gone once more. Koray starting wailing and Hahn figured he was hungry. Not exactly an expert on the opposite sex, he figured Reiko could take care of it.

"Reiko"

"Hmm"

"He's hungry"

Instead of taking Koray as he expected, she said, "Follow me" not knowing what she was doing, he wanted to stop and question her but Koray's louder balling made him remain silent and follow the fire nation woman. She stopped in the kitchen and examined various foods and Hahn couldn't take it any longer.

"Reiko, didn't you hear me?"

"Of course I did"

"Well then?" he was waiting for her to take Koray, and let him nurse.

Reiko eyed him as if he grew twenty heads then smiled after a few seconds, "I can't nurse. You had to have given birth recently to be able to" Hahn blinked, obviously not comprehending her statement, but did not complain. Reiko cut a banana into tiny bits and Hahn held him on the counter top near her. She placed one piece in his mouth and saw his jaw moving as well as his eyes flicker in delight. They repeated this until three quarters of the banana had been eaten.

"I don't get it. Why do you want me to help? Women at home _never _wanted me to help them with things like this" Hahn paled at his own words, realizing his "manliness" was at stake and he had to save it. "Not that I wanted to anyway"

Reiko smirked. "Mm hmm. You looked pretty calm and content back there" She laughed quietly as Koray slept soundly in Hahn's arms. "Even he likes it"

Hahn sighed, wondering if his defense walls were really crumbling because of her. "Where do you want to put him?"

"He's either in your room or mine" Reiko knew what the sexist water tribe man would say.

"He can sleep with me" Hahn walked away to his room to set Yue's son on his bed, and caught a glance at Reiko having to grip the counter for support. Little did she know he wouldn't be coming out for quite a while. So she sunk in the chair and wondered what to do with this mysterious child Hahn was so insistent on keeping.

* * *

**A/N: **Koray's yellowish hair is actually what we would call blonde. But remember in the Avatar world, blonde hair doesn't exist, so the description is based on looks.


End file.
